deceptive

adjective

di-ˈsep-tiv How to pronounce deceptive (audio)
Definition of deceptivenext
1
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deceptive During the deceptive calm of the hurricane’s eye, Miamians emerged from shelter. — Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 California and Hawaii, for example, are two states that have banned sharing deceptive AI content about candidates in the months around an election. — Jordi Calvet-Bademunt, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026 Beyond the stats, the personal consequences of these deceptive tactics are devastating. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026 There is no federal analogue to state laws that restrict deceptive marketing, promote responsible gaming and fund addiction programs. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceptive
  1. misleading
  2. fraudulent
  3. false
  4. shady
  5. dishonest
  6. crooked
Adjective
  • Soon afterward, an investment-research firm alleged that the company had made misleading claims about pre-orders.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has described the broadcast as false, misleading and defamatory under Florida law.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • Brazil's Supreme Court is investigating claims that Bolsonaro used a sports betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from government pensions paid to senior citizens.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Verify the breach notification before responding Scammers frequently use real data breaches as an excuse to send fraudulent emails.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • The men stopped short of signing the oath required for vouching, but Moriarty said that giving false names and starting the process was enough to justify the felony charges.
    — Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Bhengura faces a maximum of five years in prison on the false statements of citizenship in order to register to vote count and a maximum of one year in prison on the voting by an alien in a federal election count.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • Both about power-mad blondes getting involved with the shadier side of the medical industrial complex, but Matt Hagen’s nanites worked, dammit!
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Many shady electronics companies are happy to sell you the wrong component for the wrong price.
    — Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • The debate also took on an edgy, deeply personal tone, as the candidates repeatedly accused each other of being dishonest or misleading.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The other coach is dishonest and decides to strategically rank their players in a different order.
    — Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dishonest
Adjective
  • Serpentine is set in a seemingly quiet New England town where organized crime, crooked cops, buried secrets and the intensely competitive world of figure skating begin to collide.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
  • New York — Down a dim, crooked hallway inside the Jay Street Lofts, a hulking brick relic of Brooklyn’s industrial past, Naomi Mishkin is conducting a radical fashion experiment.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of crooked

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Cite this Entry

“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceptive. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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